Re-conceptualizing the ideal homes in rural China: an actor-network theory approach

With the shift in relational ontology, the concept of home is interpreted as a dynamic and relational process, in which both human and non-human elements need to be valued. Adopting ANT (actor-network theory) as an approach, this article reveals the interactive relationship and translation process between urban-rural migrants and rural heterogeneous actors (including farmland, landscapes, local people, means of subsistence, and technological facilities) in the connection of ideal home networks. It involves three steps of translation between actors, namely problem presentation of key actors, enrollment and benefit granting by key actors, and negotiation of “obligatory passage points” (OPP) based on actors’ common goals. Based on a two-year qualitative research of 18 interviewees, this article demonstrates how migrants adapt to the countryside through enrollment and benefit granting, and how sustainability and recyclability become common interests and OPP for actors in homemaking. The article argues that ANT provides a descriptive focus on how rural life has transformed from a backward neighborhood or abstract nostalgia to a harmonious new home that blends traditional culture, ecological ideas, and modern technology in the context of China. The study also points out that in the process of translating interests between actors, the human-land relationship still shows complexity and instability. Future research needs to pay more attention to the role of government officials and governance policies in the building of home networks.